a commitment to democracy and rule of law, ratified not only by his election but his willingness to step down from power after only one term. [cheers] ep of his life, the scope of his accomplishment, the adoration he so rightly earned, it is tempting, i think, to remember nelson mandela as an icon, smiling and serene, detached from the tawdry affairs. himself strongly resisted such a lifeless portrait. and applause] a insisted onb sharing with us his doubts and his fears, his miscalculations along with his victories. i am not a saint, he said, unless you think of a saint as a center who keeps on trying. who keeps on trying. it was precisely because he could admit his imperfections, because he could be so full of good humor, even mischief, despite the heavy burdens that he carried him a that we loved him so -- he carried, that he loved him so. he was a man of flesh and blood. a son and a husband. a father and a friend. we learned so much from him and that is why we can learn from him still. for nothing he achieved was inevitable. arc of his life, we see a man who earned his place in histo